1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bearing assembly in which a bearing race is mounted in a housing in a manner to prevent rotation and axial motion of the race relative to the housing.
2. Background Information
In a scroll type fluid compressor of a vehicle air conditioning device, an electric clutch is connected to a drive shaft for rotation of an orbiting scroll relative to a fixed scroll in a manner to achieve working fluid compression. The drive shaft is rotatably mounted in an aluminum housing of the compressor device by conventional bearing assemblies press fit in a bore of the housing proximate opposite ends of the shaft.
In operation of the fluid compressor device, the compressor housing and the bearing assembly proximate the orbiting scroll/fixed scroll can experience elevated temperatures to an extent that unwanted movement or creep of the bearing assembly can occur relative to the compressor housing as a result of the considerably higher coefficient of thermal expansion of the aluminum housing relative to that of the hardened steel outer race of the bearing assembly. The bearing assembly has been observed to move or creep rotationally and axially relative to the compressor housing.
An attempt to prevent such bearing creep in the housing has involved molding two nylon rings into respective circumferential grooves formed in the outer bearing race such that the rings are compressed when the bearing assembly is press fit in the housing bore to an extent to prevent rotational creep of he bearing race in the housing. However, use of rings in this manner considerably increases the complexity and cost of the bearing assembly.
An attempt to prevent axial motion of the bearing assembly in the compressor housing has involved mechanically staking the relatively soft aluminum housing material at numerous circumferentially spaced apart locations (e.g. at 12-16 locations) to provide deformed tabs of housing material overlying an annular axial end surface of the hardened steel outer bearing race.
An object of the present invention is to provide a bearing assembly in which a bearing race is mounted in a housing using housing-to-race connections provided in a manner to prevent both rotational and axial movement of the bearing race without the need for molded-on rings compressed between the bearing race and the housing.